Host a conversation about racial reconciliation, and someone is sure to tout the importance of relationships. And I agree. They are important, but they also require a lot of work. Building relationships is not an easy step. So I thought we could talk about what friendships across the racial divide require of us. 

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Have you ever heard someone talk about their desire for racial reconciliation, only to discover that the people they spend the majority of their time with look exactly like they do?
Have you ever been that person?

We can spend hours listing the ways we each benefit when we move beyond homogeneity in our lives, but it’s crucial that we do more than merely talk about racial reconciliation. We need to actually build cross-cultural friendships. These relationships can stretch us in ways we never anticipated. The opportunities to learn from one another can be invaluable, greatly impacting our lives. But how are friendships across racial and cultural lines actually formed and sustained?

A Complex Blessing
If we want to develop healthy cross-racial friendships, we need to first acknowledge the complexities and challenges of those friendships. Yes, our differences are beautiful, but they can also cause misunderstandings—even deep hurts. Thankfully, there are many stories in the Bible that teach us what it looks like to form faithful friendships. Ruth and Naomi, Mary and Elizabeth, and the women surrounding Tabitha are all great examples of life-changing female friendships.
One story that’s inspired me, particularly when it comes to cross-cultural relationships, is found in Exodus 2, where three women—Miriam, Jochebed, and Pharaoh’s daughter—worked together to save the life of baby Moses. As these very different women risked everything to rescue Moses, their story reveals to us some of the ways faithful friendships can be formed across ethnic and socioeconomic lines.

1. They were drawn together by a common cause. The reason these women were drawn together is no mystery. Their connection was born of a determination to resist an unjust law. Whether or not they liked each other was of little consequence—their goal was to rescue Moses. They united around a larger cause.

Some friendships are the result of a chance meeting, and others a purposeful introduction. Some are formed in adulthood and others have grown with us since childhood. I love the beginnings of this particular biblical friendship because it speaks to the depth a friendship can reach when it’s founded on a shared commitment to make the world better. We, too, can form cross-cultural friendships that are built around a common cause. A deep sisterhood can grow out of a shared passion. Despite any differences we possess, we are committed to walking together. 

2. They treated one another as equals. Though these women came from very different walks of life, each woman was treated respectfully. Pharaoh’s daughter, who had money, power, education, and prestige didn’t chide, disrespect, or humiliate the women standing before her. She resisted treating them as inferiors. 

Similarly, Miriam and Jochebed could have expressed disdain for the princess, seeing her only as a representation of all the negative experiences of their lives. But the slave women committed to seeing her beyond her relation to her father, treating her instead as the powerful, compassionate, self-willed woman she was showing herself to be. These women show us the importance of mutual respect—of being able to truly see one another.

Continue reading HERE 

Have you ever been talking with someone about racial reconciliation, and realized halfway through the conversation that you all are not talking about the same thing? It can be a problem! There are so many preconceptions of what racial reconciliation means and requires, our conversations can start floundering before they start.  If we are to proclaim and practice this vision, we must first understand its meaning.

For the next few months Kelley Nikondeha and I are going to read Radical Reconciliation by Allan Aubrey Boesak and Curtiss Paul DeYoung. We want you to join us! My friend Caris recommended this book, and I was really inspired after reading the introduction (which I confess I usually skip!) 

After reading through the themes of the book, I'm hopeful this could be a great launching pad for authentic conversation about what it means to engage racial reconciliation. I dont want to read this as an island unto myself.  I wonder if we might converse, wrestle, and wonder aloud about the possibilities of this reality. 

Let me be clear. I have not read this book and have no idea what the coming weeks will bring. I am hopeful that it will produce some great conversations. I believe it has the potential to stretch us if we bring ourselves and our experiences together. We never read a book as blank slates. We bring the stories already written into our minds, hearts and bodies with us. Our realities shape the content, and I want to hear about yours. How could this content work in the world? Lets find out together. 

No more talking around racial reconciliation. Lets get to the heart of the matter wrestling with the theology of reconciliation. 

1. What is reconciliation according to the Bible?

2. How could reconciliation transform our communities?

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Here's the plan: 

We'll read one part every month (there are four parts). Then we'll gather together here and on social media to talk about how we're learning, discarding or wrestling with the content.  Kelley and I will post our reflections here and on social media. Since the authors of the book proclaim that biblical reconciliation is real, radical and revolutionary, we'll use #RealRadRev to keep the conversation going. 

You can click the image to purchase the book (or kindle version) now! 

So, are you in?

Chat Dates: 

Chapter 2: June 3 @ 8pm 

Chapter 3: June 20 @ 11am 

Chapter 4: July 1 @ 8pm 

Chapter 5: July 18 @ 11am

Chapter 6: July 29 @ 8pm

Chapter 7: Aug 15 @ 11am

Chapter 8 + Conclusion: Aug 26 @ 8pm 

*post includes affiliate links

A few weeks ago Moody Bible Institute found themselves at the center of a twitter storm for an all too familiar reason: a white person denying the existence of white privilege. To find more on this story, you can read the background Here in the Chicago Trib or search the hashtag #MBIprivilege.

The story essentially died down over the last few weeks, but the same person, a professor, dug his heels in deeper. Last week he penned a letter to the editor in The Moody Standard defending his remarks (and apologizing for his tone) in five points which can be found here. 

Truth be told, there is nothing surprising in the remarks. These are all familiar reasonings for resistance to the term white privilege. Some of them Peggy McIntosh had herself just before she popularized the term! The reason I turn to his comments here is because it is quite rare that someone takes the time to write out the reasoning where I can take a screenshot. Usually these are statements made in workshops and classes, in hallways and forums where the best I can do is paraphrase the exchange. But since we have been provided the ability to screenshot the argument, I figure we should use it. There is one particular point that really makes my skin crawl in how commonly its used and how problematic it is. Please note it is not my desire to have a conversation about the professor. I dont know him at all. I want only to use his comments to showcase how American Mythology is used to replace history when discussing the devastating effect of racism in this country. Following is the point I wish to address:

I was going to take this apart piece by piece but I got annoyed and couldn't do it. So I will just make 3 points to all of this and go enjoy the beautiful weather! 

1. God didn't have anything to do with the historic racial injustice that afforded white Americans their economic privileges. God didn't sanction slavery. God didn't sanction black codes. God didn't sanction jim crow. Trying to spiritualize the level of injustice that is America's history simply because you enjoy the results of that injustice is gross.

2. No ones American story is created in a vacuum. Whenever arguments like this are made, do you notice how insular the story is? Its as if there was nothing happening in American history other than the life of the grandparent toiling away to make ends meet. As if all of America was a neutral "playing field" if you will, white folks just happened (by the grace of God, of course) to do well in life. The assumption is: as long as your ancestor wasnt a slave owner, then racial injustice couldn't be a part of your family's story. Incorrect. Lets revisit history, shall we? 

My ancestors have worked hard for centuries in this country, but were not paid for it. While white folks (as defined at that time) could apply for jobs anywhere, mine had to avoid signs that read "coloreds need not apply". While white people were earning a living wage, mine were being paid far, far less with absolutely no legal recourse. My grandparents would have loved to finish college. Some of them did graduate from universities- all of them with the word "colored" in the title. While white people were purchasing homes, my grandparents were navigating legal discriminations that would not offer them loans, would change the terms of contracts on a whim, only allowed them to live in certain neighborhoods through redlining and housing covenants, and refused to grant them homeownership altogether. My great grandmother who lived in a West Virginia mining town was evicted from her home every few years because of her gorgeous gardens and hard work to make the house livable. As soon as she did, she would find herself evicted, having to start all over, with no legal recourse and no equity or wealth gained from the home. My ancestors would have loved to pass down the amount of wealth they generated, but instead it lined the pockets of the white people for whom they worked, paid a mortgage/contract and really attempted to avoid whenever possible. The wealth that should have profited black families instead became part of the "stewardship" of white families- of business owners and real estate agents, of government workers and factory owners, of landlords and bankers, of lawyers and home owners, of court officials and many others who followed the "rules" of America's policy of discrimination in every area of American life. You're welcome, by the way.  

So forgive me for not being impressed by the "morality" and "hard work" of any ancestral tales that ignore the systemic injustice that is America's history. Forgive me for not being impressed by families who didn't own slaves. Forgive me for not being impressed by family stories overflowing with privileges not given to my family and millions of other families of color. You can celebrate the ease with which your family earned its wealth in the midst of legal discriminations of all kinds against people of color, but please don't tell me that God celebrates with you. 

3. I am so sick of these underhanded insinuations that black people (or people of color) just need to work harder, that we are lazy, unethical and selfish. That your families are the hard working ones, that your families are the ethical ones, that your families are the self-sacrificing ones. There is nothing moral about slavery. There is nothing moral about jim crow. There is nothing moral about legalized discrimination. There is nothing moral about the centuries old, two-tiered system America created for whites and for others. There is nothing moral about how white privilege came to be. This moral high ground is sinking sand. There is nothing "right" about it. 

It is an American myth that racial injustice ended with slavery. It is an American myth that the fruits of slavery died on the vine of abolition. It is an American myth that Jim Crow was nothing more than some really mean signs on parks and swimming pools, water fountains and bathrooms. It is an American myth that there are families who were somehow untouched by Americas system of inequality. It is an American myth that God has only blessed "hardworking" folks and that people of color would be wealthy, too, if we just learned the value of hard work. It is an American myth that the wealth incurred in the midst of tremendous injustice is simply a blessing from God.

And this is the brilliance of a racialized society that for hundreds of years has benefited whites at the expense of people of color: you can still tell yourself that you are innocent, untouched and excused from the harm, the trauma, and the gains of racism.

For those who wish to go beyond understanding jim crow in particular as more than random signs on buildings, please begin with Ta-Nehisi Coates's article HERE. You might hate the title. Thats okay. Read it anyway. Its longer than a blog post, but shorter than committing to a book. I re-read it yesterday and it took me about an hour with a couple interruptions. Its an introduction to understanding just how thorough systemic discrimination in an era of jim crow truly was. After you finish reading it, check out his bibliography for more in depth books.

This is important. We must get beyond the idea that racial injustice ended with slavery. Its simply not so. And to pretend that there aren't vast wealth differences as a result of this legalized unequal system that lasted more than 300 years is, quite frankly, dishonest. So lets commit to truly understanding the larger American story in which our family stories sit, especially if we are going to talk about God's view on the matter. 

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On June 5-6 Chicago, IL will be home to The Justice Conference featuring Cornel West, Lynne Hybels, Eugene Cho, Jenny Yang... and yep, even I will be there! I dont know about you, but every year, I have to look at my budget to determine what conferences are within my financial reach. And I thought some of you might be in that same boat, unable to attend this conference because its just not in the budget. I cant make registration available for everyone, but enter this giveaway and you just might be the winner of a pair of registrations so that you and friend can attend this summer's Justice Conference! 

You can find more details about the conference by going to thejusticeconference.com. Please take a moment to note the dates, times and location. If all fits within your schedule and your means to attend, enter below for your chance to win!  

This giveaway begins on Monday, April 20th and closes on Friday, April 30th. To enter, use the widget below, leave a comment according to the directions. The winner will be chosen at random on Saturday, May 1st and announced soon thereafter. You are not required to do anything else, but if you are interested in the intersection of faith and justice, we should probably be friends! So check out the FB and Twitter links and sign up for my e-newsletter using the sidebar. 

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